The shipwreck of grieving

30-in-30: Figure drawing in watercolor above the speed limit

Today I went to the figure drawing session at Town Hall Arts Galerie Copper in Copperopolis. Unfortunately, the model didn’t show up, so we took turns posing (clothed) for the group. It was fun to have so many different figures changing it up. But unfortunately, it’s really hard for non-models to hold poses even as short at 15 minutes. Readers, a good model who can hold a long pose over and over again? They are worth every penny they earn, and I hope that you always tip your models accordingly.

5-minute poses on cheap watercolor paper

Since the poses had to be really short, I had to develop a kind of shorthand quick-stroke, using very simple shapes that were separated with white space so the paint didn’t all run together into a big wet blob.

The time went so fast that I couldn’t draw with pencil and finish with watercolor. The work below was all I could muster in 10 minutes. I might play around with this a bit in the studio, but I really wish this woman would pose for me (for longer than 10 minutes). She has a beautiful face and elegant demeanor. If she reads this, I hope she’ll agree.

10-minute poses on cheap watercolor paper

Drawing with the paint brush (wait, that’s really painting, right?) forces my brain to judge shapes, angles, and proportion without the help of guidelines, angle marks, extra marks, and erasing. So it’s a great exercise. And it leaves me longing for a good, four-hour pose.

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The bird on this blog

My mother passed away in the last hours of 2016. Sometimes when life hurts too much, I need to write and share. This year, that's what I'm doing. I'm warning you, at least for the foreseeable future, this blog will be about loss and how to deal with it.

If you want happiness, painting tips, and pleasant nattering, visit my website, www.Margaretsloan.com. I promise, there won't be a lot of sadness there.